The other day I read this take on Twitter: 'If you care about spoilers in books you need to grow up. The only thing that should matter to you as a grown adult is form.'

Now, I did my undergrad in screenwriting. I still enjoy close-reading classics, reading essays on literature, and engaging in literary analysis. I also prefer to go into books knowing as little as possible and get annoyed when someone ruins what would've otherwise been a firsthand experience for me.

I got ragebaited into writing several paragraphs on how form and content aren't entirely separable concepts; how there are very few writers (mainly modernists) whose work is almost entirely concerned with form and thus cannot be spoiled in any capacity (e.g., Joyce or Woolf) and even those writers embed meaning in revelation; how 'spoiler' doesn't exclusively apply to shocking plot twists; and how some of us want to experience what we're reading firsthand and form our own opinions without pre-existing ideas coloring our experience.

I gave up mid-writing and was like 'whatever,' but I still think about it and wish I had gotten into an online argument and settled the case lol

What are some literary takes that ragebaited you recently? Let's hear them 🫵🏻 🫶🏻 💅🏻

What do you do when you hit your reading goal before even half the year is over? Do you see this as an issue? Do you try to plan for a goal that is attainable but challenging enough that it’ll take most of the year to reach? Or do you just pick a goal that seems right and not worry about when you’ll hit it? Do you adjust your goal mid-year if you hit it early?

I tend to go through intense phases where I read a lot (as in, my last phase was about 7 months and I read 275 books) but when I’m not in a phase like that, I’ll read maybe 1-2 books a month. It’s difficult to predict at the beginning of the year whether I’ll read 30 books or 300 books. I want my goal to be challenging but not unattainable if I’m not in a reading phase.

So I’m curious about other people’s approach.

I'm at the movies today and saw a preview for the Christopher Nolan adaptation of The Odyssey coming out in July, which reminded me of its existence lol. But it got me thinking that it would be cool to read the source text first because I would love to be able to engage in conversations about how the film will compare.

So my question is, for those who have read The Odyssey, what edition/translation did you use? Would you recommend it or not? Why? If you do have a recommendation for a certain copy, I would love for you to tell me why just so I can compare with other options. Thank you for any help in advance 🤗